Study: Average tech worker salary in Seattle hits $132K, making city the top spot for relocation

By Kurt Schlosser on February 8, 2018 at 10:54 am

(Hired Graphic)

Tech workers in Seattle are making more and their salaries go further than those in competing markets, making the city the top relocation destination for workers elsewhere. Those are the key findings in the third annual State of Salaries report, released by the job search site Hired on Thursday.

According to Hired, the average tech worker in Seattle is now making $132,000 a year — just below the global average of $135,000. It represents a steady rise in Seattle, which saw pay at $125,000 in 2015 and $129,000 last year. The amount refers to base salary and does not include equity, bonuses, etc.

With Silicon Valley as the benchmark, Seattle scores well when adjusted for cost of living, at $182,000. That figure ties with Los Angeles and is second to Austin’s $202,000 adjusted figure. A tech worker who left Seattle for San Francisco would need to make $50,000 more to maintain her standard of living.

(Hired Graphic)

The lower cost of living is one of the key factors that puts Seattle at the top of the list for anyone looking to ditch Silicon Valley or elsewhere. The top five cities for relocation among tech workers are Seattle, Austin, Denver, Chicago and Atlanta, according to Hired. All of those cities below Seattle are among Amazon’s final 20 cities in the hunt for HQ2.

Other findings in the Salaries report include:

Tech workers in the transportation industry are the highest paid, at $145,000.